Posts for: September, 2013

Have you ever looked at your own or someone else’s feet and noticed that yours or their nails look a little weird, like they’re growing into the skin? This is called an ingrown toe nail, and it is more common than you would think! Many people think they can take care of this problem on their own, but this is more dangerous than you would think.

There are a few things that can cause a toe nail to become ingrown; these include wearing to small/tight shoes, cutting the nail too low or in a weird way, an injury to the toe like stubbing it and from fungal infections. All of these things can alter the end of our toe nail from growing out straight like it should. The most common complaint of an ingrown nail is pain. As you can imagine a nail growing into your skin isn’t a very comfortable feeling! Some other common complaints include redness, tenderness and swelling. These signs indicate an infection of the in growing nail!

If you notice any of your nails starting to grow down into your skin, or feel any pain around your nail it is best to go see your local podiatrist at Affiliated Foot and Ankle Care located in Edison and Monroe NJ! When it comes to an ingrown nail you need to have a doctor take care of it! Cutting it out yourself can be dangerous and can lead to a bad infection! Your doctor will be able to cut it out safely and keep it from growing into your skin again. Some people suffer from recurrent ingrown toe nails; your podiatrist has a special way to cut the nail to let the skin and the nail regrow normally to prevent future problems!

For all of you horse racing fans out there, you are all familiar with trainer Bob Baffert and his Kentucky Derby winning horse Orb. You are probably aware that his preferred jockey, Joel Rosario, fractured his left foot and wasn’t able to ride Orb in the Travers competition or Game on Dude in the Pacific Classic. Each race would have paid the winner of the race 1 million dollars!

Rosario broke his foot when he fell off Casual Elegance in the 7thrace at Saratoga a few weeks ago. No reports indicate exactly which bone/bones he broke in his foot, but Rosario will not be able to compete for at least 6 weeks!

Podiatrists are very concerned with fall prevention, this is because when you fall and land on your feet it puts so much stress on the foot and ankle bones, and usually leads to fractures of one or more bones. When it comes to doing any activity whether it’s a sport, work around the house, or just walking down some stairs it is always important to be very careful and mindful of your balance and keeping yourself from falling. This probably isn’t something many of us are worried about while playing sports or doing a basic activity, but it is so simple to take a wrong step or jump and fall on our feet.

Our feet are designed to handle a lot of shock and stress, but they can only handle so much. When we do something that pushes our feet past their limit the bones will break, and can take a good amount of time to heal. In any event that you have fallen and hurt your foot or ankle it is best to go see your local podiatrist at Affiliated Foot and Ankle Care located in Edison and Monroe NJ to get your injury looked at!

Your podiatrist will most likely x-ray the injured area to look for fractures and if one if seen, depending on the severity, immobilization or surgery may be required. For stress or simple fractures immobilization is the best thing for the bones to heal. For more complicated breaks involving multiple bones, surgery is usually required to get the bones back to their normal position.

To prevent any likelihood of a fracture be mindful with what you are doing and take precautions to prevent falls!

September is pediatric cancer awareness month! In honor of this month we are going to talk about what types of cancer can be seen in the pediatric foot. The most commonly seen form of cancer is skin cancer and a less common form is bone cancer. When it comes to skin cancer many of us don’t think to look at the skin on our feet, mostly because they are covered up with shoes a majority of the time! However in the summer months kids are running around barefoot or in sandals, exposing their skin to the UV light from the sun. Seeing skin cancer on the feet is not very common and seeing it in a child is even less common, however it does happen.

When inspecting your child’s feet it is important to look for the following signs that indicate a possible melanoma. Look for a mole or freckle, check its color, shape and edges, symmetry and if it is bumpy or not. Skin cancer is typically a raised, multicolored, asymmetrical, irregular shaped mole. A melanoma can sometimes also occur under a nail. If this happens the nail will look discolored, usually a dark color, and could be tender.

If you notice a weird looking mole on your child’s feet take them to your local podiatrist at Affiliated Foot and Ankle Care located in Edison and Monroe NJ. One of our podiatrists will take a small sample of the mole to test and see if it is cancer. When it comes to something like skin cancer it is important to get strange things checked out right away, it is always better to be safe than sorry; and when it comes to your child’s health no hesitation should be taken.

For the parent, here a few tips to help keep your child’s skin healthy! Always use sunscreen with a high SPF, make sure to cover all skin, even the tops of their feet if wearing sandals. And even better than sunscreen for the feet is wearing shoes that cover their feet. Either way the UV rays will be blocked from your child’s skin!

Summer is winding down and we are all trying to squeeze in a few more days of wearing our sandals, and that means one or two last pedicures before our toes are stuffed away in boots for a few months. Now and whenever you go get a pedicure you need to be aware of the risk of getting an infection. This is something none of us want to think about, but it does happen. The only way to get an infection is by the bacteria entering your body through a break in the skin. So here are some helpful tips to prevent getting an infection while getting your toes looking pretty!

Bacteria grow in water, and especially in warm water, which is what your feet are soaked in. So before sticking your toes in the water make sure there are no cuts or scratches on your feet or lower legs. Also wait at least 24 hours after shaving or waxing to get a pedicure; both of these can leave open spaces in the skin for bacteria to enter.

Even if you go to a top end salon and they properly disinfect and clean their tools and equipment an infection can still occur. While getting the pedicure if you notice the pedicurists cut your nail too low or accidently scratch you with a tool tell them to stop immediately, dry off your feet and put antibiotic ointment on immediately!

Sometimes we don’t notice these things or we don’t notice any cuts on our feet and get the full pedicure treatment. If this happens some common signs of an infection include a red, tender spot, it is usually warm and painful to the touch. Nail infections can also be obtained; the signs of this include discolored, thick and flakey nails. If you notice any of these things on your feet, make an appointment with your local podiatrist at Affiliated Foot and Ankle Care to get your feet checked out! We are conveniently located in Edison and in Monroe NJ. If there is an infection present an antibiotic will be prescribed or an ointment if it is a nail infection.